Thank you for the pursuit

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever."

~ Psalm 136:1-3

It's easy to say these words in times of mountaintop joy. The power of the saint is to be able to say these in the middle of the valley.

The Hebrew word for "faithful love" is hesed. 

Hesed / faithful love is the attribute of God most often praised in the psalms, and Psalm 136 makes it clear that hesed / faithful love is action. It is not simply something God is. It is something God does. In fact, God IS hesed / faithful love because he DOES hesed / faithful love perfectly (or maybe that should be vice versa).

According to Psalm 136, the Lord's hesed is everlasting. The Lord's hesed fills all time. The Lord's hesed supports all of life (even heaven, earth, day, and night). We live life by the Lord's hesed. All of history and every day we live are contained in the story of the Lord's hesed.

In other words, the Lord's hesed is God's divine commitment and loving concern which remain unchanging in the face of human frailty and fickleness.

And Psalm 23 tells us that God's hesed isn't standing around waiting for us to notice it. It pursues us all the days of our life. From our first breath to our last breath, the Lord's hesed is unrelenting.

PAUSE and REFLECT: 

Are you feeling frail or fickle? Hesed is on the case - pursuing, wooing, filling, loving, calling, blessing you.

Are you wrung dry and have no tears left? Hesed is on the case - pursuing, wooing, filling, loving, calling, blessing you.

Are you concerned for a loved one? Hesed is on the case - pursuing, wooing, filling, loving, calling, blessing your loved one.

Are you broken by the conflict, oppression, and injustice you see in the world? Hesed is on the case - pursuing, wooing, filling, loving, calling, blessing victims. It's also on the case to chase down perpetrators that they may repent and be transformed.

God's faithful love endures forever and pursues us all the days of our life.

Stop running. Turn and face Hesed. Be filled with his faithful love.